How Moonshine is Made: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Crystal Ridge
Published by Crystal Ridge Distillery | Hot Springs, Arkansas
Most people have heard of moonshine. Far fewer have seen how it's actually made.
At Crystal Ridge Distillery in Hot Springs, Arkansas, we pull back the curtain every single day. Our free distillery tours take guests through the full process — from specially ground grain all the way to the bottle in your hand. But if you want to know what to expect before you visit, or you're just plain curious about the craft, here's an honest behind-the-scenes look at how we make our moonshine.
A Little History First
Moonshine has a complicated history in America — and in Arkansas especially. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, distilling spirits without a license was illegal, which drove the craft underground. Families passed down recipes in secret, often distilling by the light of the moon to avoid detection. That's where the name comes from.
The Bradley family knows this history well. Seven generations of Bradleys have called Garland County, Arkansas home. Our roots in this region go back to before Arkansas was even a state. When we built Crystal Ridge Distillery, we weren't starting from scratch — we were picking up a thread that runs back more than 230 years.
Today we operate as the first legal distillery in Hot Springs. The craft is the same. The secrecy is gone.
Step 1: It Starts With the Grain
Every batch of Crystal Ridge moonshine begins with grain — specifically ground grain sourced from a company in North Texas. The quality of the grain matters enormously. Cheap grain produces a harsh, unpleasant spirit. We take this step seriously because everything that comes after depends on it.
The grain is milled and combined with water to create what distillers call a mash — essentially a grain porridge that will eventually ferment into an alcohol-rich liquid.
Once the mash is prepared, yeast is added and fermentation begins. The yeast consumes the natural sugars in the grain and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide over several days.
This is the quiet, patient part of the process. There's no rushing fermentation. The yeast works on its own timeline, and a good distiller knows to let it. The result is a liquid called "distiller's beer" — low in alcohol, high in flavor compounds, and ready for the still.
Step 3: Meet Patrick
Crystal Ridge Distillery
This is where things get interesting.
Our still is named Patrick. He's a 250-gallon copper and wood still — one of the most distinctive pieces of equipment you'll see on our tour. Copper is the traditional material for moonshine stills for good reason: it reacts with sulfur compounds in the spirit during distillation, removing off-flavors and producing a cleaner, smoother result.
The distiller's beer is loaded into Patrick and heat is applied. Alcohol vaporizes at a lower temperature than water, so it rises first through the still's column, travels through a condenser, and emerges as a high-proof liquid — raw moonshine.
The distiller's job during this process is to make careful cuts — separating the "heads" (the first runoff, which contains harsh compounds), the "heart" (the good stuff, which we keep), and the "tails" (the final runoff, which loses quality). Only the heart goes into the bottle.
Step 4: Flavoring and Proofing
Crystal Ridge moonshine comes in 14 flavors — from classics like Apple Pie and Peach to bold originals like Maple Bacon and Peanut Butter. Most of our flavored moonshines are bottled at 70 proof. Our unflavored Mule Kick comes in at 120 proof — not for the faint of heart.
After distillation, the moonshine is proofed down to its target strength. Then the flavoring process begins. Each flavor is developed to complement the base spirit rather than mask it. The goal is always balance: you should taste the moonshine and the flavor together, not one without the other.
Step 5: Bottling and Labeling
The final step happens right here in our historic building at 455 Broadway — the F.C. Stearns Warehouse, hand-built between 1910 and 1920. You can see the original brick walls, the old fire doors, and the bones of a building that has stood for over a century.
Every bottle is ran through our automated production line.
Come See It For Yourself
Reading about it is one thing. Watching Patrick work is another entirely.
Our distillery tours are free, take approximately 20 minutes, and run on a regular schedule throughout the week. No reservation required — just show up. After the tour, stay for a tasting: $10 gets you a guided sampling of our moonshine, Arkansas Vodka, and The Pack RTD cocktails led by one of our Moonshine Experts.
Tour Schedule:
Monday: 2:00 PM
Thursday: 2:00 PM
Friday: 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Saturday: 2:00 PM & 5:00 PM
Sunday: 2:00 PM
Tasting Room Hours:
Monday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Thursday: 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Sunday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday & Wednesday: Closed
We're located at 455 Broadway St, Hot Springs, AR 71901. Call us at 501-627-0722 or just walk in.
230 years of Bradley family craft went into building this place. We'd love to share it with you.
Crystal Ridge Distillery is the first legal distillery in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Free tours, $10 tastings, 14 moonshine flavors, and an Arkansas Vodka distilled 10 times. Visit us at 455 Broadway St, Hot Springs, AR.
